Illinois

Expert Analysis

• Persuasion Skills Attys Can Learn From Political Speeches

  

  The tools of powerful political speeches — those with soaring rhetoric that convinces and moves listeners — can be equally applicable to oral advocacy, case strategy and brief writing, say Lauren Papenhausen and Julian Canzoneri at White & Case and former presidential speech writer Dave Cavell.

• Opinion

  Reflections On My 1st Judicial Election Amid Racial Tensions

  

  Former Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Robert Benham looks back at the racial barriers facing his first judicial campaign in 1984, and explains how those experiences shaped his decades on the bench, why judges should refrain from taking political stances, and why he was an early supporter of therapeutic courts that deal with systemic problems.

• Past Salary Is Losing Steam As Sex-Based Pay Gap Excuse

  

  The Ninth Circuit’s ruling that workers’ prior salaries cannot justify pay disparities based on sex in Rizo v. Yovino — which the U.S. Supreme Court recently declined to review — appears to lead a federal appellate court trend that rejects prior pay as a “factor other than sex” under the Equal Pay Act, says Christine Webber at Cohen Milstein.

• Series

  AGs In A Pandemic: Ellison Talks Minnesota Housing

  

  Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison explains how helping people afford their lives — and live with dignity, safety and respect — during the COVID-19 pandemic has meant protecting tenants from eviction, going after scammers and profiteers, and taking action against wage theft.

• Weighing Litigation Vs. Arbitration Amid Court Disruptions

  

  Parties must determine whether arbitration is better than litigation for their disputes amid pandemic-induced court delays by answering five key questions and understanding the importance of a clearly tailored arbitration clause, say attorneys at Goodwin.

• How Attys Can Guard Against Rising Settle-And-Sue Claims

  

  Certain precautions can help lawyers avoid post-settlement malpractice claims and create a solid evidentiary defense, as settle-and-sue lawsuits rise amid pandemic-induced dispute settlements, say Bethany Kristovich and Jeremy Beecher at Munger Tolles.

• Law Firm Tips For Attracting, Retaining Attys During Pandemic

  

  Steps law firms can take to attract and keep the best lawyers amid the pandemic include diversifying expertise to meet anticipated legal demands, prioritizing firm culture, and preparing for prospective partners' pointed questions, says Brian Burlant at Major Lindsey.

• Perspectives

  Finding A Path Forward To Regulate The Legal Industry

  

  Gerald Knapton at Ropers Majeski analyzes U.S. and U.K. experiments to explore alternative business structures and independent oversight for law firms, which could lead to innovative approaches to increasing access to legal services.

• The Fate Of The ACA And What's Next For Health Care

  

  The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Texas v. U.S. could render the Affordable Care Act unconstitutional in whole or in part, which, combined with the upcoming election, could drive a wide range of impacts on health care policy, businesses and patients, say Michael King and Emily Felder at Brownstein Hyatt.

• Series

  Lawyering While Parenting: A Day In A Dad's Pandemic Life

  

  Christopher Jennison shares a view of his life working from home as a Federal Aviation Administration attorney preparing to first-chair a trial while splitting child care responsibilities with his lawyer wife.

• Avoiding Smart Contract Conflicts Despite Ambiguity

  

  As smart contracts grow in popularity, confusion over their definition, operation and effect requires careful consideration of how they may alter parties' legal rights and obligations, says Andrew Foreman at Porter Wright.

• Cos. Should Assess Risks Of COVID-19 Biometric Tech

  

  As the pandemic accelerates the adoption of biometric technology, companies thinking about using or developing it should assess their litigation risk under disparate state laws regarding data use and storage, say Nicola Menaldo and Alison Caditz at Perkins Coie.

• Series

  Lawyering While Parenting: A Day In A Mom's Pandemic Life

  

  Josephine Bahn shares a view of her life working from home as an attorney at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation while splitting child care responsibilities with her lawyer husband.

• Chicago Debtors May Lose High Court Case But See Relief

  

  While last week's oral arguments in Chicago v. Fulton suggest that the U.S. Supreme Court will likely favor the city's right to retain possession of bankrupt owners' impounded vehicles, new city programs will provide additional options for relief to vehicle owners, says Ariane Holtschlag at the Law Office of William J. Factor.

• 5 Cost-Cutting Strategies For Corporate Legal Departments

  

  To achieve long-term reduction in their legal expenses, companies must look beyond law firm hourly rates and better distribute their legal work among high-cost premier firms, low-cost practitioners and alternative legal service providers, and their own in-house teams, says Nathan Wenzel at SimpleLegal.